Sacramento A’s Luis Urias (17) connects for a two run RBI double in the top of the fifth inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sun Jun 1, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

A’s Falter Late in Toronto 8-4 After Early Punch

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics came out swinging at Rogers Centre Sunday afternoon, jumping to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Lawrence Butler drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on Tyler Soderstrom’s groundout. Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker followed up with singles, but the early spark soon cooled. The green and gold’s bats fell silent in key moments, stranding runners and squandering the chance to build on that opening punch losing to the Blue Jays 8-4 at Rogers Centre.

Wilson, the rookie sensation, was in the middle of it all, finishing the day with four singles and a stolen base, bringing his total swipes to five this season. The 24-year-old continues to show why he leads all rookies in batting average, now sitting at a dazzling .345, and is second in the majors in total hits. He showcased his versatility with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, tacking on a fourth run that gave the A’s a short-lived cushion. But that promising start would unravel in the bottom of the eighth, when the Jays’ bats turned the tables in brutal fashion.

Soderstrom’s ejection in the third inning, following a called third strike that saw him exchange words with home plate umpire Tom Hanahan, forced Logan Davidson to step in at first base. Davidson would find himself in the thick of a messy eighth that defined the day’s outcome. After the A’s built a 4-2 lead with Luis Urías’ two-run double in the fifth, the Toronto lineup waited for its chance to pounce.

The Athletics’ pitching staff, already known for a shaky 5.68 ERA this season, couldn’t hold back the Jays’ late surge. Justin Sterner, who entered in the eighth, faced the nightmare scenario. A catcher’s interference call against Willie MacIver put George Springer aboard, and the Jays wouldn’t waste the opportunity. Alejandro Kirk singled, and pinch-runner Alan Roden came in. That’s when Addison Barger turned the game upside down, smashing a three-run homer that soared beyond the right center fence, erasing the A’s lead and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

By the time Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drilled a two-run double to center, Toronto had seized an 8-4 advantage, and the A’s hopes had vanished. Grant Holman’s pickoff error only added salt to the wound, as the Jays kept piling on. For a moment, it looked like the Athletics would halt their five-game losing streak. Instead, they were left to ponder what might have been.

Earlier in the game, Denzel Clarke had shown flashes of excitement with a single and stolen base in the fourth, while Brent Rooker, riding a hot streak that has him slugging .800 since May 22, added two more singles to his tally. Drew Avans also made his mark, helping to keep Toronto’s outfielders honest with a sharp lineout and alert baserunning.

On the mound, starter JP Sears was steady if unspectacular. He worked five innings, giving up two runs and scattering six hits before giving way to the bullpen. The A’s relievers have struggled this year, and today was no exception. After Mitch Spence gave up a run-scoring single to George Springer in the fifth, the relievers combined to yield six more runs in the final four innings.

The loss extends the A’s skid to six games, deepening an already rough patch in which the green and gold have dropped 16 of their last 17 contests. The club’s record now sits at 23-36, just one game better than their mark after 59 games last year. Their May woes, highlighted by a 7-21 record, second worst in the majors, have seeped into June, as the Athletics continue to search for answers and a way to snap out of this tailspin.

As the A’s head back to West Sacramento the theme of the day remains painfully clear: a promising start, a sputtering finish. For the Athletics, another day on the road brought another gut-punch ending. The A’s will try and turn the page, but for now, it’s another long night for a team searching for something to hold onto.

It’s also a long flight from Toronto to Sacramento as the A’s will open a homestand on Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. For the Twins RHP Joe Ryan (5-2 ERA 2.57) for the A’s Luis Severino RHP (1-4, ERA 3.89) first pitch 7:00pm at Sutter Health Park.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.